VIENNA, Dec 12, 2008 (AFP) - Around 3,000 homes were without electricity in southern Austria on Friday after overhead lines collapsed following two days of continuous snowfall, public television ORF reported. The worst affected areas were the province of Carinthia and the region south of its capital Klagenfurt. In the Lesachtal valley, a further 0.7 metres (2.3 feet) of snow fell during the night in addition to the 1.5 metres (4.9 feet) already on the ground and local authorities raised the avalanche warning to level four, just below the top warning level. A number of valleys in Carinthia were cut off with roads and rail links closed. Schools also remained closed. Firefighters were called out more than 60 times to help remove fallen trees and to clear house roofs which were in danger of caving in from the weight of the snow.
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